Chapter 699: Eye Demon Elder

Last time in Danmofo, the energy absorbed by the Demon slaughter was mostly consumed by Lei En's core, Reslin used up over three hundred units to solidify a "Flame Demon Crown", leaving about 1,200 units; now that we've killed so many Kou Tao fishmen, the energy in the spiritual energy pool has recovered to 1,600 units.

These energy units he intends to reserve for Lei En's promotion to Legendary High-rank, and has never used them.

"The capacity of the spiritual energy pool is still too small."

Reslin thought to himself.

Beilake went off excitedly, scavenged loot from the corpses of three Legendary Kou Tao fishmen, and soon returned, cursing and grumbling.

"These penniless bastards, they don't even have anything worth a dime." The Holy Spear Ranger spat, washing his hands with a disdainful face by the river.

Dao En Suosi laughed loudly: "If they were rich, they wouldn't have to come out to raid."

"That's not enough to make them this cold," Beilake mused, "unless this is their first robbery, hmm…"

He saw Yizite also examining the corpse of a Kou Tao fishmen priest, seeming to have discovered something.

"These Kou Tao fishmen have a problem," Yizite turned to the group and said.

Beilake perked up: "What problem?"

Dark elves are most familiar with the Shadow Realm, and are well‑versed in the creatures that dwell in the underground world. He rose slowly and said, "The first cave I passed through was 120 years ago; I have traversed many since, and long ago I discovered a nearby Kou Tao fishmen tribe, but they never, like this time, deployed such a large‑scale ambush; it was easy for me to bypass them."

"Kou Tao fishmen do indeed raid passersby, but they act in small groups and rarely exceed thirty."

"That many fishmen is almost the entire tribe."

"They are also intelligent, and wouldn't do such a foolish thing unless forced," Yizite said, his face thoughtful, "Kou Tao fishmen usually live near dark rivers, with abundant food; their raid targets are treasure and magical items."

He pointed at the fishmen corpses everywhere, "But look at these Kou Tao fishmen, their weapons and gear are extremely primitive, even the Legendary fishmen are like that…"

【7】 Beilake realized.

Bei La Ke reacted.

"Your meaning is that they were forced by someone to raid, and the wealth is handed over to the serving master?"

"Exactly," Yizite nodded, "This is common in the Shadow Realm; Zhuo Er, Eye Demon, and Spirit-absorbing Monster most often use this method to control slaves, making them serve, collect wealth. This Kou Tao fishmen tribe is probably enslaved by one of those three."

"Which one do you think it is?" Axi Na asked.

Yizite thought, "This is the upper layer of the Shadow Realm; Spirit-absorbing Monsters usually operate in the middle and lower layers, so Zhuo Er and Eye Demon are more likely. Zhuo Er tends to cherish slave lives, after all, slaves are a 'wealth' in their eyes; Zhuo Er orders them to do many tasks, extracting every drop of labor, rather than sending them to die uselessly."

"Is it the Eye Demon that controls this Kou Tao fishmen tribe?" Reslin suddenly asked.

"The likelihood is high," the dark elf nodded.

Reslin instantly became interested.

The Eye Demon is one of the most renowned and powerful beings in the Shadow Realm; they belong to a kind of aberrant monster, naturally mastering numerous spells.

They resemble floating giant eyeballs, a form that could give anyone nightmares, yet they possess great intelligence. They are not native species of Ai Lun E Si, their origin unknown; they claim their ancestor was a great being whose power rivaled a deity, nameless, simply called "Great Matriarch".

All Eye Demons are descendants of the Great Matriarch, and all are hermaphroditic.

The Eye Demons believe only they are the wisest and strongest, deeming other beings inferior; this attitude combined with their innate power makes their ultimate goal conquest and domination.

They achieve this by enslaving other creatures.

Eye Demons are also extremely arrogant; each thinks itself the exemplar of the race, the others mere inferior copies. When two Eye Demons meet, even a slight difference in appearance, even a pattern on a watch case, will spark a life‑or‑death battle until one dies, the survivor proclaiming victory.

Paradoxically, the Eye Demon is a very complex species with dozens of branches. Just as no two leaves are identical, no two Eye Demons are the same.

One Eye Demon is strong; a swarm is a disaster.

Thus Eye Demons fight alone, each monopolizing a territory, making alliances with other Eye Demons nearly impossible, preventing the formation of a powerful Eye Demon kingdom.

Even their reproduction is carried out alone.

When the Eye Demon offspring grow large enough, they gradually notice differences from themselves and may kill the young.

If the offspring is a mutant, survival becomes even harder.

Reslin has read about Eye Demons in the "Thousand Souls Book"; the entry is extensive, covering over a dozen common Eye Demons, such as Eye Demon Tyrant, Eye Demon Elder, Nest Mother Eye, Death Blow Eye, Chisel Tongue Eye, Marshal Eye, Insight Eye, and so on, each possessing unique abilities.

However, most Eye Demons share three spells: Mind Control, Eye Beam Ray, and Anti-Magic Field.

Especially the Anti-Magic Field!

This powerful spell is extremely rare; among known creatures bearing the Anti-Magic Field Element, only three exist, each rarer than the last. Eye Demons are among the more accessible, while the other two are nowhere to be found.

Lei En has long considered that his path as a melee Wizard, if he could master the Anti-Magic Field, would be unbeatable.

Combat Wizards and Anti-Magic Fields are a perfect match!

The last time in Nuosiruier, witnessing that blood elf breaker's Anti-Magic Field, Lei En became even more eager.

Since we've entered the Shadow Realm, a nearby Eye Demon is possible, and we cannot miss it.

Hearing Yizite, Reslin hesitated not, immediately saying, "Find this Eye Demon; I need its magic soul."

"You want to strip the Eye Demon of its Element to forge a Law Seal?" Dao En Suosi instantly misunderstood, and the other teammates thought the same.

Until now, no one knew Reslin was a Wizard.

He gave no further explanation, merely nodding.

"The Eye Demon hides its lair very carefully, its territory is vast, making it hard to locate," Yizite said. "They are innate casters, controlling slaves in the dark; the slaves in the lair are also the strongest, numerous, and quite dangerous."

"We've even killed the Baro Flame Demon, why fear an Eye Demon?" Beilake said with a nonchalant face.

"Indeed."

Yizite laughed twice.

He has just been promoted to Saint Rank Demonic Hunter, still viewing his strength as Legendary, unable to shift his mindset.

Eye Demons have extremely high innate talent; adulthood is Legendary, yet like all beings, advancing to Saint Rank is very difficult; the entire Shadow Realm may have only a few Saint Rank Eye Demons. This is just the upper layer; the Eye Demon controlling the Kou Tao fishmen is over 99% Legendary, not something to fear.

The dark elf pointed toward the distant cave, "In the Kou Tao fishmen tribe there should be some clues."

"Let's go."

Reslin waved his staff, casting a mass teleportation spell.

The scene shifted; the party instantly passed through the forest to the edge of the cave, where the river formed a vast lake, cliffs dropped into the water, currents surged, clearly leading to an unknown space below, and some Kou Tao fishmen were fleeing frantically underwater.

They also took part in the earlier ambush, but by luck were outside the Burning Cloud spell's range, and escaped to the river bottom here.

"Shall we go underwater?" Beilake asked.

"No need."

Reslin activated the All-Seeing Eye to track the fleeing Kou Tao fishfolk; the darkness underwater receded, and he clearly captured the fishfolk's path.

His gaze followed the trail, and he looked up through the rock wall.

He locked onto the location and opened a portal; on the other side was a vast darkness, accompanied by a chorus of chirping and wailing screams.

Yizite and A Xina rushed in headfirst.

When Reslin emerged from the portal, the two had already unleashed a killing spree, blood staining the ground. It was a closed, damp cave, only two to three hundred meters in diameter, with a river running through its center; along the riverbanks, caves were carved into the rock walls, and simple shelters made of wood were erected.

This cave was the Kou Tao fishfolk's tribe.

The only entrance and exit lay at the river bottom, requiring a dive of nearly a kilometer to reach, making it both safe and hidden, but today it faced disaster.

Reslin immediately performed the Mirror Image Technique, and twelve mirror images appeared simultaneously.

His body and the mirror images each emitted a pale white beam, instantly freezing the cave's river and blocking the Kou Tao fishfolk's escape route.

There were still over three hundred Kou Tao fishfolk in the cave, most of them old, weak, sick, or crippled.

Yet their ferocity was no less than any evil creature's; with no escape, they launched suicidal attacks on the enemy, like eggs striking stone, with unsurprising results.

Gunfire roared, and thunder bellowed.

In less than half a minute, the Kou Tao fishfolk tribe was almost annihilated; the only survivor was a legendary fishfolk hunter, likely the one tasked with guarding the tribe, who was knocked unconscious by A Xina's shield and tossed at the group's feet.

A Calming Technique struck its fish head, waking it.

Reslin bestowed upon himself the Language of Comprehension and asked, "Who is your master?"

The legendary fishfolk stood over two meters tall, with a strong body; beneath its bluish‑gray scales were solid muscles, and it wore simple leather armor. A pair of round, protruding eyes on either side of its fish head flashed with fear, and it did not hide anything, honestly replying, "It is the great 'Gu Ge Ze La Kan.'"

Its words were still a garbled chirp, but with the aid of the Language of Comprehension, Reslin could already understand the subterranean fishfolk language.

"An Eye Demon?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." The legendary fishfolk nodded repeatedly; its massive fish head seemed mismatched with its body, looking somewhat comical.

Reslin thought to himself, "Indeed."

Then he said to Yizite, "You guessed right; they are indeed backed by an Eye Demon," and he also granted each teammate the Language of Comprehension.

Beilake immediately continued the interrogation: "Have you ever seen that Eye Demon? Where is its lair?"

"I've been to the master's lair twice, but it cloaked my eyes with magic, preventing us from locating its exact position," the Kou Tao fishfolk replied timidly, fearing these dreadful enemies would kill it, "Esteemed masters, please spare me; I can guide you near the master's lair."

Everyone felt relieved; once they reached near the Eye Demon's lair, the task would be much easier.

Yizite, being cautious, asked again, "What type is it?"

"The master is an Eye Demon Elder."

The dark elf was slightly surprised, exchanging glances with the teammates.

The Eye Demon Elder, also called "Elder's Eye," is a mutation that appears among only a few hundred Eye Demons, possessing a lifespan far longer than ordinary Eye Demons—at least five hundred years. Its size, strength, and defense far exceed those of typical Eye Demons, and its casting ability is even greater, earning it the title of the mage among Eye Demons.

Their intelligence is extremely high, and as they age, their casting power only grows stronger.

An Eye Demon Elder is at least legendary; the chances of it being Mid-stage or High-stage are great, and it commands countless slaves—one Eye Demon Elder's lair is equivalent to an extraordinary legion!

However, Reslin felt a bit delighted.

He had thought it was just an ordinary Eye Demon, but it turned out to be an Eye Demon Elder, which better matched his expectations.

Because an Eye Demon Elder inevitably carries an anti‑magic field and a plethora of spells.

Reslin looked at the Kou Tao fishfolk and said calmly, "Lead us to your master, and I will spare your life."

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

The fishfolk rejoiced immensely; without waiting for anyone's urging, it scrambled to its feet, pointed toward the frozen river surface, and said, "Please, esteemed masters, follow me."

"You only need to point the way," Reslin said, looking toward the direction the fishfolk indicated, and opened a portal.

Soon, the party left the Kou Tao fishfolk tribe.

This Kou Tao fishfolk, desperate to survive, dared not deceive. Along the way, it led Reslin and the others through dozens of caves, straying farther from Yizite's planned route, entering unfamiliar areas via hidden passages, and encountering other subterranean creatures, almost all slaves of that Eye Demon Elder.

These slaves, upon spotting the enemies, immediately surged forward in chaotic clamor.

They were then slain cleanly by Reslin and his group, leaving no chance to report back to the Eye Demon.

After a day's trek, finally the Kou Tao fishfolk guided everyone into a massive underground cavern, where countless stalactites hung from the ceiling, the terrain was extremely complex, and the surrounding rock walls featured many openings and branches leading in various directions.

"Sir, I can only bring you this far."

The Kou Tao fishfolk's eyes were filled with anxiety, "The master's lair is nearby; one of these passages leads to it, but I don't know which."

This was the moment that decided its life or death.

Reslin continuously used his Soul Eye to observe the Kou Tao fishfolk, confirming it told no lies, and waved his hand, "You may go now."

"Yes, thank you, sir!" The Kou Tao fishfolk scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

After sending the Kou Tao fishfolk away, Reslin began to examine the cavern and soon discerned a clue.

(End of chapter)